LCAM-01XA Archangel
The Archangel ''is the first and sole surviving ship of its class, a powerful transatmospheric heavy assault carrier developed for the Alliance by Orb manufacturer Morgenröte as part of the Atlantic Federation's secret "G Project" in CE 71. Fast, heavily-armed and armored and able to carry a sizable number of mobile suits, the ''Archangel ''has gained widespread renown as one of the members of the Three Ship Alliance and for its instrumental role in ending the Bloody Valentine War. Technology & Combat Characteristics A custom-built mobile assault ship secretly constructed by the Atlantic Federation, one of the Earth Alliance's member nations, at the resource satellite Heliopolis. Heavily based on Orb's own Izumo-class, it is very similar in internal layout and armaments. Originally designed to support the Atlantic Federation's prototype mobile suits, the ''Archangel ''is equipped with a variety of powerful weapons and experimental systems, including laminated armor that protects it from enemy beam weapons and ablative gel dispensers that allow it to survive atmospheric entry. Since the Bloody Valentine War's end, it has also been refitted to allow it to travel underwater. The ''Archangel is among the fastest warships ever created. Until the rollout of ZAFT's more advanced Minerva, ''it was second only to the Eternal in speed, and its far heavier armor and more powerful weapons, combined with its transatmospheric capability, mean that even four years later it remains among the most powerful warships in existence. Armaments ;*"Lohengrin" Positron Blaster Cannon x2 :The most powerful weapon of the ''Archangel is its pair of "Lohengrin" positron cannons, which are retractable and mounted inside the two front "legs" of the ship, directly below the hangars. ;*"Gottfried Mk.71" 225cm High-Energy Beam Cannon x2 :The only other beam weapons carried by Archangel-class ships are two "Gottfried Mk.71" 225cm high-energy beam cannons, which, like the ones of the Izumo-class ships, can move into several positions. These dual-barreled cannons are mounted above each catapult, allowing the ship to, if necessary, provide cover fire for its launching mobile suits ;*"Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS x16 :The Archangel is armed with an array of "Igelstellung" 75mm automatic multi-barrel CIWS guns, used to shoot down incoming missiles or mobile suits that might have slipped past ;*"Valiant Mk.8" 110cm Linear Cannon :Each side of the ship mounts a single "Valiant Mk.8" 110cm linear cannon, which is stored inside the side of the rear propulsion unit when not in use. The Valient, despite being of a lower caliber than the Gottfrieds, is the largest single weapon mounted on the ship. Although a powerful weapon, its enormous size(nearly the length of the ship itself) makes it very vulnerable to attack. ;*"Helldart" Anti-Air Missile Launcher x16 :An array of "Helldart" anti-aircraft missiles are loaded into and stored on tubes on the bridge tower. These light, medium-to-close-range missiles are primarily designed to shoot down aircraft, but are equally effective against mobile suits. ;*Aft Missile Launcher x24 :The stern of the Archangel-class houses two sections that project backwards directly behind its dorsal wings and directly above its engines. These launchers house heavier "Sledgehammer" anti-ship missiles and anti-air "Korinthos" and "Wombat" long-range anti-air missiles. Because the launch tubes face towards the rear, when deployed these missiles normally perform a 180° turn in a wide arc around the side of the ship and then forward towards their target. System Features ;*Laminate Armour :The hull of the Archangel is made up of laminate armor, which dissipates the heat of beam weapons across the whole hull, granting the ship an incredible defense against beam weapon fire. ;*Ablative Gel :As a protoype ship, the Archangel-class is equipped with several unique and new features. One such feature is an ablative gel, which can be released by the ship during atmospheric reentry to absorb heat. ;*Anti-Beam Depth Charges :For additional defence, the ship can fire anti-beam depth charges, which release clouds of beam-absorbing particles. These are fired from hull-mounted launchers, which also serve to launch signal flares. ;*Smoke Dischargers :The ship is also fitted with a set of dispensers that discharge a thick cloud of smoke, giving it additional cover by rendering visual detection impossible and allowing the ship to rapidly, if need be, mount a surprise attack against enemy units. ;*Underwater Propulsion :Since the end of the Bloody Valentine War, the Archangel has been refit to enable it to travel underwater. Its underwater combat capabilities are extremely limited, as very few of the ship's weapons would function underwater, and although it can launch mobile suits while submerged its complement lacks any effective naval-combat mobile suits. However, it does allow the ship to more easily travel long distances while avoiding detection. History In CE 71, the Atlantic Federation and Orb’s Morgenröte covertly developed and manufactured five prototype mobile suits, code-named “G-Weapons” at the Orb colony Heliopolis, as well as a warship to serve as their mothership: The Archangel, a powerful and heavily armed, transatmospheric assault carrier. The ship would distinguish itself numerous times throughout the course of the First Junius War, and in fact would be instrumental in ending it. Since the end of the war, the Archangel ''has been in Orb, where it has been maintained and even upgraded: The ship is now able to travel underwater, though it cannot deploy mobile suits underwater, nor do most of its weapons function in that environment. The Archangel leaves Orb in February CE 75 after abducting Cagalli Yula Athha from a reception at which Orb's Prime Minister, Unato Ema Seiran planned to attempt to pressure Cagalli into a political marriage with his son Yuna, something which had been planned previously but to which Cagalli herself was openly hostile. Cagalli subsequently leaves the ship and returns to Orb. In the time between Cagalli's abduction and her return, Unato had dispatched an Orb fleet to provide military assistance to the Alliance, including Orb's latest carrier ''Takemikazuchi. ''Learning of this, the ''Archangel would thus find itself engaged against ZAFT's new battleship Minerva ''on two occasions when they were attacked by the joint Orb- and Alliance-fleet, attempting to stop the Orb ships and force them to return to Orb. This would result in catastrophic damage to the ''Minerva. ''At the same time, the Orb fleet was nearly completely destroyed, the ''Takemikazuchi itself being spared destruction only by a timely intervention from Cagalli herself, contacting the ship by radio from Orb and ordering them to return. The Archangel would retreat following that encounter to the Kingdom of Scandinavia, which had been secretly providing them shelter and assistance. The Archangel ''and its mobile suits would participate in the Battle of Hamburg, during which the rampaging giant mobile armor GFAS-X1 Destroy is destroyed by the Freedom. Not long afterwards, as they attempted to retreat to the North Atlantic in order to return to Orb, the ''Archangel ''is attacked and fatally damaged by the ''Minerva. Though many of the ship's crew survived its sinking, they were forced to abandon it and make their way back to Orb, leaving the first and last ship of her class behind in the waters off the coast of the Eurasian Federation. Most of them would go on to serve onboard Izumo-class battleships as part of the Orb Space Fleet, and thereby participate in the final battles of the war. Category:Warship Category:Earth Alliance Category:Orb Category:ORB Vessels Category:Earth Alliance Vessels